iPad and iPad mini shipments may be affected by a lack of touch screen sensors, according to “DigiTimes” (http://tinyurl.com/adhdwhy)
Japan-based Nissha Printing, Apple’s main supplier of thin-film touch sensors for the iPad mini, may not be able to supply enough of the sensors for Apple’s next-generation tablets due to a lack of production capacity, the article adds, quoting unnamed “industry sources.”
According to “DigiTimes,” the next-gen, full size iPad is expected to use the same touch sensors as the iPad mini’s thin-film DITO (G/F2) touch panel structure. This means that Apple will be looking mostly to Nissha to supply the touch sensors for both devices as the Japan-based firm is a leading provider of the technology, the sources said.
Nissha currently has an annual production capacity for 60 million 9.7-inch equivalent touch sensors, per “DigiTimes.” Approximately 33 million iPads are expected to be shipped during 2013 while shipments of the 7.9-inch iPad mini are expected to reach 55 million units. Do the math and it shows that Nissha’s production capacity of the touch sensors will be below Apple’s expected demand for the two tablets.